Compulsive Gaming

The success of massively multiplayer games coined “heroinware,” such as Everquest, Diablo II, and World of Warcraft has come at a price for players. It is not uncommon to hear of a gamer who is so addicted that he has lost his girlfriend, job, or wife. The addictive trap stems from endless quests for status and power. Each goal brings along a new goal and one feels as if they’ve wasted their time if they do not complete the next task, a phenomenon called sunken cost. Simply deleting you character is generally not enough to stop the addictive behavior. Because of the ease of buying another game and creating a new character this act is similar to throwing away a pack of cigarettes as a method of smoking cessation. Most individuals who have arrived at this page know they have a problem and have tried to do something about it without success. Controlling the amount of time spent gaming is much more difficult than most people realize, and most people who try to manage this behavior fail.

The links below offer options for the next step, should you choose to explore your Psyche and the possibility of intentionally influencing the future contents of your biography. The first link opens the PARTS' Mood Screen, which offers a brief measure of depression and anxiety; the "Do I have a Problem" Self-Test provides a brief measure of problem seriousness; the Trap Detector will help you identify the traps that have prevented you from controlling this aspect of your life in the past; the final link describes some Advanced Cognitive Strategies that you may find helpful in managing the inevitable crises that await you.

PARTS' Mood Screen

Brief self-evaluation: Signs and symptoms of depression & anxiety

Do I have a problem?

Is this a serious problem for me and worthy of my attention?

Trap Detector

What is the nature of my addictive trap?

Advanced Cognitive Skills

Skip the self-evaluation for now and go to the next step of the passage

"No man is free who cannot command himself."